Chapter 11: Old Master Guan Sneaks Out to Find His First Love

“That poor girl, having a father like that.”

After Li Yingzhe and Tang Chengyun got into the elevator, the former couldn’t help but grumble.

Abandoning his young daughter and the father who had raised him through thick and thin just to become the son-in-law of a wealthy family—he was truly scum.

Tang Chengyun cursed along in his heart.

The elevator doors opened halfway, and two acquaintances stepped in.

“Officer Tang?”

“Cousin, why are you here?!”

Liao Jiamu’s and Guan Xiangyu’s voices rang out one after the other.

Both men turned to look at each other simultaneously. “You two know each other?”

“Dr. Liao.” Tang Chengyun nodded at Liao Jiamu, then turned to ask Guan Xiangyu, “Why are you here?”

Guan Xiangyu had been afraid of this cousin, who was five years his senior, since he was a child. He replied instinctively, “I’m out with Grandpa. He accidentally took a fall and is staying at this hospital.”

As soon as he finished, he covered his mouth, his face turning miserable. *Damn it! Why did I say that!*

*Stupid mouth! Why are you so fast!*

Tang Chengyun’s expression changed instantly. His elderly grandfather, who was in poor health, had secretly followed his family’s most unreliable cousin across provinces to Dongning City.

He’d even ended up in the hospital, and they hadn’t notified him!

*Very good! Just great!*

……

Li Yingzhe waited in the hallway while Old Master Guan slept inside the ward.

“Grandpa said he wanted to find his first love, but my parents wouldn’t let him leave the house, so I snuck him out,” Guan Xiangyu said, head bowed like a child who had done something wrong, his voice muffled. “He accidentally fell on the way. He’s already had surgery, and the doctor said it’s nothing serious.”

Tang Chengyun looked at Liao Jiamu, who replied, “The injury on the old man’s head isn’t serious, but he has other underlying conditions. Long-distance travel is not recommended.”

Liao Jiamu thought: *Running this far at seventy or eighty to find a first love—the old man is quite sentimental.*

“I’ll take him back once he’s better.”

*I’ll take him out again once he’s even better,* Guan Xiangyu thought to himself.

“Cousin, don’t scold Grandpa when he wakes up. He’s already very sad that he didn’t find his first love.”

Tang Chengyun looked at the old man on the hospital bed, his feelings complicated. Neither his mother nor Guan Xiangyu’s father were the old man’s biological children; they had been adopted from relatives within the clan.

The old man had never married. In his youth, he had a partner he loved dearly, but they were forced apart by the turmoil of the times.

He had never seen her again, and for all these years, he had been searching, but there was never any news.

In recent years, the old man’s health had declined, and his obsession with finding his first love had grown more stubborn. However, due to his health, his children insisted he stay home to recuperate.

Guan Xiangyu had been closest to his grandfather since childhood. He couldn’t bear to see the old man moping at home, so he snuck him out behind everyone’s backs.

They had only just reached Dongning City when the old man had his accident.

Tang Chengyun rubbed his brow, his voice weary. “I have things to do back at the station. I’ll have my mother come to look after Grandpa.”

Guan Xiangyu’s face crumpled. “Can you not have Auntie come? I’ve hired a caregiver. The caregiver and I can take good care of Grandpa!”

“Grandpa doesn’t want Auntie to come either.”

There was no other reason; it was mainly because Tang Chengyun’s mother was too fierce, and they were all terrified of her.

If she came, she would definitely give them a tongue-lashing, and even the old man wouldn’t be spared.

“They’ll find out sooner or later. If you tell them early, they won’t be as angry.”

Tang Chengyun glared at him. “If I hadn’t run into you here, were you not planning on telling me at all?”

*Definitely not planning on telling you.*

“I just… hadn’t gotten around to it yet…” Guan Xiangyu lowered his head, feeling guilty.

Tang Chengyun: “……”

After inquiring about the old man’s condition in detail, Tang Chengyun and Liao Jiamu left the ward, leaving Guan Xiangyu to watch over him.

Once outside, Tang Chengyun asked Liao Jiamu, “You’re the doctor in charge of Rong Zhengming on the sixth floor, right?”

Liao Jiamu nodded. “You’re investigating his car accident case.”

Li Yingzhe walked up to them, listening in.

“I remember the medical report saying he was highly likely to be paralyzed. I saw the old man, and his mental state seems quite good.”

Liao Jiamu’s voice lightened. “We find it miraculous too. The old man’s recovery ability is extraordinary.”

They were also surprised by the old man’s super-strong recovery.

The best-case scenario they had anticipated was the old man in a wheelchair; the worst was that he would be paralyzed and mentally confused.

Even in the former case, it would require a certain amount of time and active rehabilitation training.

But Old Master Rong was already clear-headed, and his body showed no discomfort. At this rate, he would likely be out of bed and moving around before long.

“His family must have good genetic physical health. His granddaughter was in such a major car accident and only suffered minor skin abrasions.”

The taxi had been totaled, the driver died on the spot, and Old Master Rong was seriously injured, yet Rong Leying, who was in the same car, only had minor scrapes. She was truly lucky.

Li Yingzhe: “Are you talking about Rong Leying?”

Liao Jiamu thought for a moment. “I think that’s the name. No other family members have come for her.”

“I happen to be going to check on Old Master Rong now. Do you want to come along?”

Tang Chengyun shook his head. “No, we’ve already asked what we needed to. We’re heading back to the station.”

The three parted ways on the floor where Old Master Rong was staying.

As Tang Chengyun stepped out of the elevator, before the doors could close, a man and a woman walked over from the fire exit, a person’s distance between them.

“Hanghang, is the master here?” Chen Wenxi tilted her head and asked softly.

Xu Zihang led them toward Rong Leying’s ward. “Yes, that sister is inside.”

Liao Jiamu watched Chen Wenxi talking to thin air, then looked at Xu Yunfei, his eyes filled with pity.

These two might have had their brains broken by the trauma.

Li Yingzhe, still in the elevator, saw this and said in surprise, “Aren’t those two the parents of the little boy who died from the high-altitude falling object at the hotel?”

“It’s them.” Tang Chengyun’s expression was thoughtful.

Did that woman just call out ‘Hanghang’? Wasn’t Hanghang the name of the child who died?

Li Yingzhe sighed. “It’s amazing that these two can still walk together. I thought they would never see each other again.”

After all, when the mother found out what happened to the child, she looked like she wanted to kill the father. I didn’t expect them to be able to walk together so calmly.

As they exited the elevator on the first floor, a young man was pushing a middle-aged woman into the elevator, and the two passed by them.

“Mom, did Auntie Zhou call you back? Is she renting out the house?”

“She is. I talked to her. That girl is pitiful and has to take care of her grandfather, so she agreed to rent it to her at a discount.”

The elevator doors slowly closed.

Tang Chengyun stopped and turned to look at the elevator.

Li Yingzhe was puzzled. “What’s wrong, Boss? Did you leave something behind?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

The two quickly left the hospital and headed back to the police station. On the way, Tang Chengyun called his parents to tell them about the old man being at Dongning Hospital.

(End of chapter)